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Wristwatch Cinema: Hamilton’s “How a Watch Works,” 1949

Here’s another vintage Hamilton film from 1949. This short produced for Hamilton by the Jam Handy Organization was intended as a training video for Hamilton’s sales staff, but served a larger purpose in wider audiences as an educational short as well afterward.

It gives simple and fascinating description of the theory and principle that drives a simple manual mechanical watch in easy-to-understand terms, with some excellent visual aids like a 7 and a half foot working model and a gardenhose-driven mockup “clock” to help make the inner workings very clear, even if you have no previous understanding of what makes watches tick.

If you enjoyed this, you might also want to check out Hamilton’s “What Makes a Fine Watch Fine” from 1947:

Link: Hamilton’s “What Makes a Fine Watch Fine”, 1947


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Continuing the Discussion

  1. How a Clock Works | talonsjonathan's Blog linked to this post on 15 February 2010

    […] ”How a Clock Works” […]

  2. Old instructional film from 1949: How a Watch Works linked to this post on 19 July 2010

    […] video may be viewed here: How A Watch Works – 1949 There is another video in the series made by Hamilton in the late 1940's. What Makes A Fine Watch […]

  3. recommendations for good watch documentaries linked to this post on 07 December 2011

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